Computer networks using cables to link devices such as computers are common and the number of such networks is growing. Ethernet, a Media Access Control (MAC) layer network communications protocol specified by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 802.3 (1985) (which also defines the physical layer (PHY) characteristics) and Token Ring, specified by IEEE Standard 802.5 (1985), are just two of the many standards for such networks known in the art. In addition to these standards, there are also many proprietary or non-standard network configurations. An example of a typical Ethernet network connection to an office location is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,468. A system and method for implementing an Ethernet protocol in a local area network (LAN) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,214.
In order to maintain the integrity of wire connections in a LAN, network administrators generally implement some sort of scheme for detecting cable faults. One common approach is to measure the physical length of the existing network cables using well-known devices such as Time Domain Reflectometers (TDRs). A TDR device measures cable length by sending a signal down the cable and measuring the reflection back. A standard TDR may be built into the ports of Ethernet switches so that if a short occurs somewhere along the length of the cable, the reflected TDR signal from the discontinuity can be used to detect the problem and identify the point where the cable is shorted or broken. Network service personnel may then be dispatched to attempt to correct the problem. By way of further background, U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,236 describes a prior art method and apparatus for checking cable integrity by measuring the length of a cable link in a computer network.
One of the problems with past cable measuring approaches is that they tend to be passive and only provide limited information, i.e., that the cable link is shorted a certain distance from a network line card. For example, if a wire is unplugged from a computer node, the network operator typically might receive an error message that a particular physical port of the LAN left the bridge or lost its carrier signal. Plugging the cable wire back into the computer might result in a message that the port has joined the bridge. This type of limited error reporting information can make troubleshooting certain types of network cable problems difficult and time consuming.
Thus, there is need for a system that simplifies network management and operational control of cable network links by providing enhanced diagnostic and error reporting information.